Project number
25002
Organization
UA Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering
Offering
ENGR498-F2024-S2025
As algae-based industries – including biofuels, agriculture, and pollution management – continue to grow, precise and scalable monitoring of algal growth is becoming increasingly vital. However, existing assessment methods are energy-intensive, time-consuming, and limited to laboratories. This project addresses these challenges by improving a benchtop sensor designed to take real-time, in-field measurements and develop it into an in situ sensor for continuous deployment in raceways, which are
cultivation environments.
The team focused on key improvements, including extending the sensor’s temperature range, boosting durability, and improving user-friendliness. Using spectrophotometry at 650 and 780 nanometers, the team’s system applies Beer’s Law to measure algae concentration and turbidity.
Data from the device is transmitted via ethernet to an external acquisition device. Once there, a digital-to-analog conversion stage ensures seamless integration with standard data collection systems. To mitigate temperature-induced fluctuations in laser output, the system includes a double-beam design that calibrates all measurements with simultaneous sample and reference readings. The team applied all these design improvements to both the original benchtop sensor and to the new in situ sensor. In addition, the team created a compact, hydrodynamic housing for the in situ version.
cultivation environments.
The team focused on key improvements, including extending the sensor’s temperature range, boosting durability, and improving user-friendliness. Using spectrophotometry at 650 and 780 nanometers, the team’s system applies Beer’s Law to measure algae concentration and turbidity.
Data from the device is transmitted via ethernet to an external acquisition device. Once there, a digital-to-analog conversion stage ensures seamless integration with standard data collection systems. To mitigate temperature-induced fluctuations in laser output, the system includes a double-beam design that calibrates all measurements with simultaneous sample and reference readings. The team applied all these design improvements to both the original benchtop sensor and to the new in situ sensor. In addition, the team created a compact, hydrodynamic housing for the in situ version.